Episode 1 Wild Burma: Nature's Lost Kingdom


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Burma...

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..closed to the outside world for five decades.

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A mysterious land...

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..a land of secrets.

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Nearly half of Burma is covered in forest.

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It's thought to be a sanctuary to some of the rarest and most exotic wildlife on earth.

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Yet only 3% of Burma's forests are protected.

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As Burma steps towards democracy,

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it must decide the fate of these forests.

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Now an expedition team of scientists and film-makers

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has been granted unprecedented access.

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It is better than I could ever have imagined.

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Their mission?

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To prove beyond doubt that these unique forests need to be protected.

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It's a big snake, it's huge!

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They will search for animals

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that elsewhere hover on the edge of extinction.

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Yes, yes!

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And present their findings to the Burmese Government.

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I happen to know that this is a spectacular find.

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What they discover could change the future of Burma's wilds forever.

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This country is rumoured to be home to a treasure trove of wildlife.

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This is the very first time that any film team

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have been allowed in to find out what's going on down there.

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Burma is the largest and least explored country

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in mainland Southeast Asia.

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A region that boasts some of the most diverse forests on the planet.

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Today, 95% of Southeast Asia's forests have disappeared.

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Burma contains half of what is left.

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Its forests cover an area larger than the United Kingdom.

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They may be home to some of Asia's most endangered species.

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Now an expedition will venture deep into Burma's jungle.

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Wildlife film-makers Gordon Buchanan and Justine Evans have joined forces

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with biologists Ross Piper and Chris Wemmer.

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Alongside them, a team of Burmese wildlife experts.

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They will compile a detailed wildlife survey and capture footage

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to convince the Burmese Government to protect these forests.

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For the last 50 years, Burma has very much been this forbidden land,

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and when it comes to the natural habitat, it's a forgotten land.

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In the last few hundred years,

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the lifestyle of the people,

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the habitat in this area is pretty much unchanged.

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Burma, also known as Myanmar,

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has suffered half a century of oppressive military rule.

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It became one of the most isolated and impoverished countries in the world.

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Today, three-quarters of the population

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make their living from the land.

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You get a real sense, driving through this part of Burma,

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how little has changed here.

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What we might find when it comes to the wildlife is this time capsule,

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other animals that are being lost elsewhere in Southeast Asia

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could be living in good numbers right here.

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The expedition team has two months on the ground.

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They will cover as much of the country as they can.

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They start in western Burma,

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in search of Southeast Asia's largest mammal, the Asian elephant.

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In the last century,

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up to 90% of the world's Asian elephants have disappeared.

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Finding healthy populations of elephants

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would make a powerful case for preserving these forests.

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The amazing thing is that it is almost perfect elephant habitat,

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but the fact is

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very, very little is known about the elephants that actually live here.

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We do know that they are here,

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but what we have no idea of is how many there are.

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Biologist Ross Piper has never been to this part of Southeast Asia before.

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Where we are at the moment, it does look good for elephants,

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but we really have to get into the areas that are away from these roads,

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that are away from human activity,

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and only then will we see signs of elephants

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and hopefully see the animals themselves.

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Camerawoman Justine Evans knows filming elephants here

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will be a challenge.

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I've filmed Asian elephants before in other parts of Southeast Asia,

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but they've always been in these tiny pockets of forest within national parks.

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Above everything, elephants need space.

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Here, they have that space and that's why it's such an important area.

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It just feels like it's got a lot of great potential.

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Burma's elephants are under threat.

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Throughout Asia, they're hunted and persecuted by humans.

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That's a problem.

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Elephants live in close-knit family groups.

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The young learn their survival skills from the old.

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If the older elephants are killed, the whole herd breaks down.

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The team knows the elephants are here,

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but to make the strongest case for their protection

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they must find herds with every generation intact.

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They need to find groups with calves.

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Their destination, the Rakine Yoma mountains...

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..a vast swathe of almost impenetrable jungle.

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Its isolation protects the elephants from poachers.

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If the team can find intact herds anywhere, it will be here.

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Biologist Chris Wemmer hopes these mountains could be a stronghold for the Asian elephant.

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What we want to do is determine if there's a healthy population,

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a viable population of elephants in this part of the range,

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because if there is,

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there's a very good chance that the forest is healthy north of here

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and that it will also support additional herds of elephant,

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so we could be looking at an extensive range

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that has a large population of elephants along most of its length.

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Chris has been working in Burma for decades,

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but this is the first time he's had access to this mountain range.

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It's a unique opportunity.

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It's also a challenge.

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The forest is dense and elephants are shy.

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I've been coming to Burma for 25 years

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and I've never seen a wild elephant.

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So our work is cut out for us.

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To find the elephants, the team must first get to know their habitat.

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Chris wants to show Gordon the lie of the land...

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..from the air.

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Wow! Look at that.

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-That's stunning, isn't it?

-Boy, that's something!

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This forest is unbroken for 1,000 miles.

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With the right protection, it could be the world's most important sanctuary for the Asian elephant.

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Somewhere like this is incredibly special in Southeast Asia,

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because you've got this massive range that stretches over 1,000 miles.

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Absolutely. You know, every time I stare out across

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this kind of landscape, it just stirs my imagination.

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The truth is that so little is known about this range.

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That's just it, there's all kinds of secrets and mysteries in there,

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that's what we want to find out about.

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The foothills of this inaccessible range are already developed

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pushing elephants into evermore remote territory.

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So, on the ground, where do we start looking?

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I would say we go up these hollows, up into the hills,

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and we're going to look for elephant tracks.

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And I don't mean footprints.

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I mean a four-foot wide area,

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which is basically their...their own highway, their own thoroughfare,

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that's what we're going to be looking for,

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and we'll follow those to the feeding areas.

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It's not going to be easy.

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It's a daunting task that lies before us.

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In the last century,

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Asian elephants have lost 95% of their former range.

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This isn't their only problem.

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Farmers kill them to protect their land,

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poachers hunt them for their ivory.

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And those that survive face another threat -

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illegal capture for the tourist trade.

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So, what's this?

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What we're seeing here is an example of the illegal trade in Asian elephants.

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This is an animal which is entering the tourist trade in Thailand.

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It was illegally captured, probably in Burma.

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It is being broken of its spirit

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so it can be trained to beg in the streets

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and to give joyrides to tourists, that's what it's all about.

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Oh, God, I hate to see that, oh!

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To break a wild-caught elephant, you are...you are breaking its spirit.

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Its spirit, yes.

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Vet and Asian elephant expert Khyne U Mar

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has fought for Burma's elephants for decades.

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So how long does this animal have to go through this process?

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Normally, it takes about a month to finish this breaking procedure.

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So the calf's dependency on mother is as long as about five or seven years,

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so if they are, you know, separated from the mother in a very early age,

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it makes a lot of psychological stress and strain and stress for the young calf.

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I suppose it's an enslavement

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because this animal is going to spend its life in chains.

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Right, in chains, yes, yes.

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It's estimated that up to a quarter of all the elephants born in Burma

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end up as playthings for tourists.

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Without protection,

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Burma's elephants could be gone in just 30 years.

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The team begins its first full day with a simple challenge.

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There are elephants out there, but where?

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Here...

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-1-10.

-1-10.

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Aung Kyaw, what is the pattern of movement here?

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The elephant moving in this area using the Aungnyo River,

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and then moving along the Aungnyo River and then to the ridge.

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Chris Wemmer and his old friend, park ranger, Aung Kyaw,

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piece together information from recent sightings.

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-So, the feeding areas are both in the valleys?

-In the valleys.

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The river valleys and on the ridges.

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On the ridge, yes, there are a lot of bamboo and wild banana.

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That's why they like this area very much.

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They've identified the area they need to search.

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Now the team must split up.

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Justine will stick to the river valleys,

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where elephants relax in the heat of the day.

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Gordon will head for their night-time feeding grounds on the ridge,

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six miles from camp.

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To find the elephants,

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the team will rely on the expertise of the local Chin community.

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If I was to go out here looking for elephants,

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I could walk for days and days and maybe eventually I'd find them.

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The good thing about elephants is they're big, they can be noisy,

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and they do leave a lot of tracks and signs behind them,

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but Moko here has spent the last few days looking for elephants.

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How far are the elephants travelling each day?

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While Gordon heads for the ridge, Justine searches the valleys.

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It's the dry season

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and the elephants will stay close to water.

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Hey, look at this, this is really good.

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See this plant here?

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You can see the way it's been knocked over.

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And this is classic elephant.

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And you can see where the trunk's probably come round

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and then the foot has come in to kick this plant,

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and it hasn't been eaten,

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but it's been definitely knocked over by an elephant.

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And then over here a bigger one.

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Yeah, this is definitely elephant,

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and you can actually see footprints in there.

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That's great, first signs of ele.

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The team knows there are elephants here.

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But they need to find out whether these are healthy, breeding herds.

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Gordon hopes camera traps will reveal this.

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Obviously, when you're siting a camera trap

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you've got to have the animal that you're after in mind,

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and that has a huge bearing on where you put it.

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Camera traps will capture footage of anything that triggers their movement sensor, day or night.

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So, if I put this camera trap here, for example,

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I could say with absolute certainty if an elephant came down this path, it would see this.

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They're incredibly intelligent animals,

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and what it would do, it would stop, it would put out its trunk,

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it would have a sniff,

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and very easily it would put that huge powerful trunk against it

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and it would smash this thing to smithereens.

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So what I'm wanting to do is put it up a little bit higher,

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and the thinking is that if an elephant's coming down this slope,

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it's going to be concentrating on the path,

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and it's not going to see the camera trap up there.

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So, one armed and ready to go.

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Down in the valley,

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the trackers have led Justine to a spot the elephants visit regularly.

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Great. You can really see a clear ele trail here.

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These local Chin guides have shown me this beautiful elephant trail

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you can see here that's leading up to a salt lick,

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and the idea is that they're going to come here to mine for salt.

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They need it in their diet just as people do, and they just don't get enough from the vegetation.

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It's amazing the lengths that elephants go to to get salt.

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And here you can see they've been digging away at the soil.

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You see there where he's been lying down.

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Elephants have been here recently so Justine may be too late.

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How often do the eles come to this salt lick?

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-Once a month?

-Yeah.

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So is it a dynamic that they're moving around their territory

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and that they may come for a few days and then move on

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and then return in a few weeks' time, that sort of situation?

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So we have a chance, they might come?

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Yeah, yeah.

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Camera traps allow Justine to film in several different places at once.

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With luck, they'll tell her how many elephants live here,

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and, crucially, if they have young.

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If the team finds elephants thriving here,

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then they could be thriving throughout the range.

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This gives Chris hope for the elephants' future.

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Whoa! There it is, look at that!

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What a spread, magnificent!

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What's encouraging about this setting, this landscape,

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is that it goes on and on and on...

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We're towards the south,

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towards the end of a stretch that goes on for hundreds and hundreds of miles.

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These forests have survived centuries of exploitation.

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In 1824, Britain colonised Burma and ran it as a trading outpost.

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They used wild-caught elephants to plunder forests for their valuable teak...

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..until World War II...

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..when Japan invaded Burma.

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Bombs ravaged the same forests the British Empire had plundered.

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After the war, Burma gained its independence.

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Then, in 1962, a military coup wrested power from the people

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and plunged Burma into five decades of oppression and isolation.

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Since then, these forests have lain largely undisturbed.

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One of the reasons this is still here is because Burma has been closed off,

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it's been sealed to the outside world for so long

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following the Second World War.

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It was just cut off and everything stayed the way it was.

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It existed in a time warp, so to speak.

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All that's starting to change, of course,

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but that time warp has done one important thing -

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it's saved all of this for the future.

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The forest has survived intact.

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Now the team hopes to prove that elephant herds have, too.

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Ross has travelled eight miles northwest of base camp.

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So far, he hasn't found any elephants.

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But there is evidence that they're here.

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Finally, look at this!

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We've been walking for six hours,

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and we've managed to find some fresh elephant dung.

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There's...

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This was probably...this was probably deposited only a few hours ago,

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still quite warm, actually.

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You can see how, you know, the food has barely been digested.

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Elephants have a very inefficient digestive system.

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Probably only about half of what they eat actually gets digested and absorbed.

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Flies all over it.

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Elephant dung is a rich source of food for other animals.

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You have to remember this is a key process.

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The fact that all these creatures colonise this dung,

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take all the nutrients and energy back into the soil

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where it can be used by the plants again to grow.

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You know, that's a key element to how these forests work.

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Without that, you know, all these plants would die,

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if these nutrients aren't recycled continually back from the elephant eating them,

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passing it through its digestive tract out on to the soil,

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and they get back taken back into the soil to nurture yet more plant growth.

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You know, it's those cycles... it's those cycles that keep every ecosystem ticking over.

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This adds to the team's evidence,

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but it's not proof of breeding herds.

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The team is four days in and the pressure is mounting.

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They have proof that elephants are out there.

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But they're no closer to filming them,

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or finding evidence of healthy, breeding herds.

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Gordon, you got a minute?

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All they can do is keep going.

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We have your assignment.

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-You've got a six-kilometre march before you.

-OK.

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Based on the best intelligence from the Chin trackers,

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they're probably up on the ridge feeding this evening.

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They're going to come down to the water late this afternoon.

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You need to be set up and ready for them.

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After taking advice from the trackers,

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Justine is trying an old Burmese trick.

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Elephant cake.

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So what I'm going to do is I'm going to mix up a load of tamarind,

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which is a type of tropical fruit and a big bag of salt,

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and I'm going to take it into the salt lick area.

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Hopefully, the elephants will smell it and want to come in.

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Phwoar!

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This is apparently a tried-and-tested recipe...

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Smells rotten, though.

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While Gordon heads for the ridge, Ross follows a different lead.

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Elephants have been sighted near the village of Taung Lay.

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If the rumours are true, there could be a second herd in the area.

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Ross heads downriver with elephant expert Khyne U Mar to talk to the locals.

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So, I'm thinking this is the best place to put the elephant cake.

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Hopefully, they'll get some sort of scent of the tamarind.

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As Gordon heads up the ridge,

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head ranger Aung Kyaw spots movement across the valley.

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Do you see an elephant?

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Look!

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There's moving.

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Just directly over the valley here...

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-Do you think there's an elephant in there?

-Yeah.

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-TRUMPETING

-Yeah, I can hear it, I can hear it.

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According to Aung Kyaw,

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it's possible to get within five metres of an elephant here

0:23:560:23:59

and never actually see it.

0:23:590:24:01

Why is such an enormous animal so hard to find?

0:24:020:24:05

Gordon will need a good vantage point

0:24:070:24:09

if he's to catch them on camera.

0:24:090:24:11

Right on top of the ridge, the highest point, and this is my tree.

0:24:140:24:19

This is... I'm going to climb up and spend the night.

0:24:190:24:23

Gordon will film from a specially rigged tree platform.

0:24:250:24:28

We know that there are elephants just down in the valley.

0:24:300:24:32

The hope is that they will come back up on to the ridge tonight.

0:24:320:24:35

This could be his best hope of seeing elephants.

0:24:370:24:40

In Taung Lay, Ross quickly discovers the stories of elephants

0:24:430:24:47

are more than just rumours.

0:24:470:24:49

They've been coming into the village itself.

0:24:490:24:51

He talks to Taung Lay's headman, U Kin Toe.

0:24:520:24:55

Can we find out why they fear elephants,

0:24:590:25:01

what is it about elephants that makes them scared?

0:25:010:25:03

THEY SPEAK IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE

0:25:030:25:06

Elephants are very big and when they come in with group,

0:25:110:25:15

nobody can do anything. They just have to run away,

0:25:150:25:18

and they have no power to, you know, make them, you know, scared off.

0:25:180:25:24

And how do they drive them out when they do come into the village?

0:25:240:25:27

THEY SPEAK IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE

0:25:270:25:31

Once they enter our compound, we just shout.

0:25:330:25:36

-Shout?

-Shout and then kind of...

0:25:360:25:38

Sounds good!

0:25:380:25:40

Shout and then drive them.

0:25:400:25:42

So sometimes they turn away and sometimes they charge us.

0:25:420:25:46

HE SPEAKS IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE

0:25:460:25:48

There is a place called Tandabin

0:25:500:25:52

which is about three miles from here.

0:25:520:25:55

They found elephants that they call...

0:25:550:25:58

THEY SPEAK IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE

0:25:580:26:00

Oh, right, they said in groups, they live in groups.

0:26:030:26:06

It's exactly what Ross was hoping for.

0:26:080:26:11

A large group could well mean a breeding herd.

0:26:110:26:14

On the ridge, Gordon prepares for an uncomfortable night.

0:26:210:26:25

His platform is 30 metres off the ground.

0:26:270:26:30

He hopes he'll see the elephants without them noticing him.

0:26:350:26:39

Elephants live in tight family groups.

0:26:460:26:48

They are extremely protective of their young.

0:26:480:26:51

If they smell Gordon, they will stay away.

0:26:510:26:54

So he plans to camp up here for the next 48 hours.

0:26:540:26:58

It won't be easy.

0:27:030:27:04

The platform is barely large enough for him and his camera.

0:27:060:27:09

He must stay constantly alert, and wait.

0:27:090:27:12

It does feel like a very unusual thing to do.

0:27:210:27:23

Being up a tree in the dead of night waiting for a herd of elephants to walk past.

0:27:250:27:33

It's not normal, really.

0:27:350:27:37

The thing that's niggling me is whether I'm giving off any scent,

0:27:390:27:44

whether this whole process of climbing the tree,

0:27:440:27:47

disturbing this area for a period of time,

0:27:470:27:50

maybe that's enough to put the elephants off.

0:27:500:27:52

Despite their huge size elephants can be incredibly nervous,

0:27:540:28:00

and if they suspect there's something not quite right,

0:28:000:28:03

they'll avoid an area.

0:28:030:28:05

I just don't know if that's what's happening at the moment.

0:28:060:28:09

The team's 20 camera traps haven't yet recorded any elephants,

0:28:110:28:15

but they have started to reveal how rich this forest is.

0:28:150:28:19

This leopard is a good sign.

0:28:360:28:38

They will only live in areas

0:28:380:28:39

rich enough to support their varied diet.

0:28:390:28:42

Local villagers use the same paths as the animals.

0:28:510:28:54

That might explain why the elephants keep a low profile.

0:28:590:29:02

Gordon hopes his high vantage point means the elephants

0:29:180:29:21

won't even know he's there.

0:29:210:29:22

He has a long night ahead.

0:29:220:29:24

The expedition still has no evidence of healthy elephant herds.

0:29:470:29:51

They need to find groups of animals and they need to find young.

0:29:510:29:55

After 24 hours on his tree platform, Gordon hadn't seen anything.

0:29:570:30:01

OK. A whole night without a single elephant.

0:30:040:30:08

Could actually hear them off in the distance,

0:30:080:30:12

little bit of trumpeting and breaking, but it seemed like a long way away from here.

0:30:120:30:17

I'm just going to stay up here for the rest of the day,

0:30:170:30:21

and hope that maybe the daylight hours bring more success.

0:30:210:30:27

In Taung Lay, Ross is still searching for a second herd.

0:30:320:30:35

He's found what looks like a recent elephant trail.

0:30:350:30:39

Take a look at this.

0:30:420:30:43

OK, here we've got some... some elephant prints here,

0:30:450:30:49

these look quite small as well.

0:30:490:30:51

Small prints could mean calves.

0:30:530:30:55

It's intriguing.

0:30:550:30:56

So, to be sure,

0:30:580:31:00

I need to see the elephants themselves that made these prints.

0:31:000:31:02

It's the only way I'm going to get conclusive evidence.

0:31:020:31:05

Back at camp,

0:31:130:31:14

Chris is reviewing the most recent evidence from the camera traps.

0:31:140:31:17

Let's have a look at the pictures.

0:31:190:31:21

Asiatic wild dog, beautiful.

0:31:300:31:33

This is neat. I mean, this is very, very encouraging

0:31:390:31:42

to see this variety of wildlife,

0:31:420:31:44

all in a very small area.

0:31:440:31:46

Wow, look at that!

0:31:510:31:53

Can you believe that?

0:31:580:32:00

Finally, the camera traps have delivered a result,

0:32:000:32:04

concrete proof of elephants.

0:32:040:32:06

That was a very nice sequence of a male passing the camera.

0:32:090:32:14

Can't tell much about the animal,

0:32:160:32:18

but it's right in front of the camera,

0:32:180:32:20

it's having a drink of water, filling its trunk.

0:32:200:32:23

Spraying itself now and spraying the camera.

0:32:250:32:27

We got a little water on the lens already. That's always fun!

0:32:270:32:31

Water on the lens won't hurt it.

0:32:310:32:33

OK, here comes another one.

0:32:330:32:35

Images of elephants in several different locations.

0:32:380:32:41

It's a promising sign.

0:32:410:32:43

Uh-oh, this one's going for the cam.

0:32:490:32:52

It's trying to grab the cam with its trunk finger and twist it off,

0:32:520:32:58

they'll throw a coil around a small object like this...

0:32:580:33:01

Oop, there's its nostrils, but it's OK, the camera's safe.

0:33:010:33:06

Oh, it's got the strap on the cam.

0:33:090:33:11

Can you believe that?

0:33:130:33:15

What we see here is an excellent example of the elephant's curiosity.

0:33:150:33:19

It's trying to learn, "What is this thing that I didn't see here before?"

0:33:190:33:24

Curiosity of course is an indicator of intelligence.

0:33:250:33:28

In this case, the inquisitive nature means an obliterated camera.

0:33:320:33:36

The camera traps have captured images of two males,

0:33:390:33:42

but it's not enough.

0:33:420:33:44

Male elephants are loners.

0:33:440:33:46

Only the females and their young live in herds.

0:33:460:33:50

The team needs to find evidence that these female groups are thriving here

0:33:550:33:59

to make a strong case for protecting the forest.

0:33:590:34:02

Their hopes rest on Gordon and his tree platform.

0:34:040:34:08

Oh, there's a hornbill over there.

0:34:100:34:12

There's still no sign of elephants,

0:34:130:34:15

but at least he's seeing evidence that the forest is healthy.

0:34:150:34:19

Inside each of those fruits that he's eating is a seed,

0:34:220:34:26

and those seeds will be carried miles from here.

0:34:260:34:29

Elephants perform a similar function on the ground.

0:34:380:34:41

They eat fruit and disperse the seeds.

0:34:410:34:44

As elephants move about, they tear down trees and plants

0:34:510:34:54

to make pathways and clearings.

0:34:540:34:57

Everywhere they go they deposit dung

0:34:570:35:00

containing the seeds of their favourite food plants.

0:35:000:35:03

By clearing the forest,

0:35:030:35:05

they give new plants the opportunity to grow into the light.

0:35:050:35:08

All these different animals have different roles in the forest,

0:35:130:35:16

and none is more important than the role of the elephant.

0:35:160:35:21

They really are the engineer of this habitat.

0:35:210:35:24

They are the cultivators, the rotovators, the fertilisers,

0:35:240:35:29

the...they do so many things

0:35:290:35:32

and have shaped this forest to look the way that it has,

0:35:320:35:36

and without elephants living here,

0:35:360:35:38

it would be a very, very different place.

0:35:380:35:40

Elephants help create the environment

0:35:420:35:44

other animals need to thrive.

0:35:440:35:46

If these forests are protected for elephants,

0:35:480:35:50

all the other creatures in the forest will benefit, too.

0:35:500:35:53

Ross is still on the trail of a second herd of elephants.

0:36:020:36:05

OK, look at this. This is good.

0:36:130:36:15

This dung's really, really fresh,

0:36:150:36:16

probably only left here about one or two hours ago.

0:36:160:36:19

This means there are elephants definitely in this area.

0:36:190:36:21

They've flattened all this vegetation

0:36:210:36:23

on this slope and moving obviously up and down here.

0:36:230:36:26

This is really good evidence. I've got to crack on,

0:36:260:36:28

I'm hot on their heels now so I'm going to keep going up here.

0:36:280:36:31

This is the closest the team has been so far.

0:36:380:36:42

Then, without warning, the elephants are there.

0:36:430:36:46

TRUMPETING

0:36:460:36:48

There they are.

0:36:530:36:55

Get out the way.

0:37:010:37:03

Oh, my God, did you see that?

0:37:070:37:10

There.

0:37:140:37:15

Here they are.

0:37:240:37:26

That was nerve-racking.

0:37:300:37:31

I'm shaking.

0:37:320:37:34

They were so close.

0:37:360:37:37

As fast as they appeared, the elephants are gone.

0:37:380:37:41

They just appeared out of nowhere.

0:37:420:37:44

And that was... that was nerve-racking.

0:37:440:37:47

They were moving quickly as well, moving so quickly through here,

0:37:470:37:50

probably, I'd say, a good running speed for a human.

0:37:500:37:53

I've just see them moving along these thin trails

0:37:530:37:55

through these forests so quickly,

0:37:550:37:57

and they can just come up on you like that

0:37:570:37:59

and you would not know about it.

0:37:590:38:01

There were several animals, moving at speed.

0:38:010:38:03

This is evidence of at least one group of elephants.

0:38:030:38:06

But there's still no proof they're successfully breeding.

0:38:080:38:10

There's still no sign of calves.

0:38:100:38:13

Time is running out.

0:38:130:38:15

While the team keeps searching on the ground,

0:38:190:38:21

Chris decides to search from the air.

0:38:210:38:24

I'm hopeful that we're going to see some trails, some elephant trails,

0:38:310:38:34

maybe some disturbed vegetation, thick bamboo breaks,

0:38:340:38:38

places where the elephants have been feeding in the bamboo,

0:38:380:38:41

that should stand out.

0:38:410:38:43

Oh, look at this, fresh dung.

0:38:470:38:49

Definitely very, very fresh, still very, very damp.

0:38:490:38:52

Good, eh?

0:38:530:38:54

Chris finds several cleared areas where elephants may have fed, but no sign of the animals themselves.

0:38:580:39:05

Even with a balloon, Chris is no closer to knowing where they are.

0:39:110:39:15

There's just 36 hours left.

0:39:170:39:19

It's beginning to look like Ross's encounter may be the best evidence they'll find.

0:39:230:39:27

I actually saw them... saw them with my own eyes.

0:39:340:39:36

-Five elephants tearing past us through the forest.

-Wow!

0:39:360:39:39

I was hiding behind a tree at the time,

0:39:390:39:41

-obviously a bit scared.

-Fantastic.

0:39:410:39:43

Does this mean that potentially all of this area here,

0:39:430:39:46

is this suitable elephant habitat too?

0:39:460:39:49

It's moving in that direction,

0:39:490:39:50

it's telling us that this is suitable habitat.

0:39:500:39:53

We're not finding just a pocketed population here

0:39:530:39:55

and another one up here so far.

0:39:550:39:57

I mean, we've found two, two populations,

0:39:570:40:00

two groups of individuals, will you, that are, you know,

0:40:000:40:03

ten kilometres apart.

0:40:030:40:05

Chris believes there could be two groups of elephants

0:40:060:40:09

within six miles of each other.

0:40:090:40:10

It's a hopeful sign,

0:40:170:40:19

but it's a far cry from the direct sightings of mothers

0:40:190:40:22

with calves that they were hoping for.

0:40:220:40:24

I was thinking, you know, that they must be terrified of people to do that.

0:40:260:40:29

I mean, you know, I was there,

0:40:290:40:31

so it was only me, so what were they...?

0:40:310:40:33

I don't know. You know, it's strange because if they caught wind of you,

0:40:330:40:36

you'd think that they would move in the opposite direction,

0:40:360:40:39

but I have not had encounters of the close kind like this,

0:40:390:40:42

so I don't know what to expect.

0:40:420:40:44

I'm not sure that I'd want more of those close elephant encounters,

0:40:440:40:47

-to be honest.

-You don't want to get the larger sample size

0:40:470:40:50

-in that kind of experience, do we?

-No, no, no, no, need more trousers.

0:40:500:40:54

The team is learning more about the elephants here.

0:40:570:41:01

But it may be too little, too late.

0:41:010:41:03

Gordon is still on his tree platform,

0:41:130:41:16

but he's beginning to give up hope.

0:41:160:41:18

It's just past three o'clock in the morning

0:41:210:41:24

and there's no sign of any elephant.

0:41:240:41:26

I'm really struggling to stay awake now.

0:41:260:41:29

Not feeling that hopeful.

0:41:290:41:32

I think they've probably moved out of this area.

0:41:330:41:36

The night wears on.

0:41:420:41:44

He sees nothing.

0:41:440:41:46

It looks like sitting it out was the wrong call.

0:41:480:41:50

It's the final day.

0:42:030:42:04

The team has just 12 hours of daylight left.

0:42:040:42:08

The Chin trackers have found fresh signs north of Gordon's tree.

0:42:110:42:16

The whole team heads out in a last-ditch attempt to find them.

0:42:170:42:21

Should keep quite quiet now.

0:42:220:42:24

This looks like a very heavily used area. You can see it's quite cleared,

0:42:260:42:29

there's bent-over bamboo all over the place.

0:42:290:42:33

Looks like there's been a herd through here.

0:42:330:42:35

There's lots of signs everywhere.

0:42:350:42:37

You can see footprints.

0:42:380:42:40

Dusting, dust bowl, so to dust themselves,

0:42:400:42:43

and we're on a major elephant highway here.

0:42:430:42:46

Chris has also picked up a fresh trail.

0:42:530:42:56

This...this is an elephant track.

0:43:000:43:03

Let's stop and listen here.

0:43:130:43:15

We're going to stop here and just listen.

0:43:150:43:17

RUSTLING

0:43:220:43:24

I can hear them.

0:43:240:43:26

They're about...maybe 350 yards away.

0:43:270:43:32

TRUMPETING

0:43:320:43:34

Hey! Come, come.

0:43:380:43:40

You can see a big cow standing.

0:43:430:43:44

That is quite something.

0:43:490:43:51

There they are.

0:43:520:43:53

In 25 years, this is the first time I've seen wild elephants in Burma.

0:43:560:44:00

Gordon?

0:44:030:44:05

Gordon, this is Chris. Are you there?

0:44:050:44:08

Go ahead, Chris.

0:44:080:44:09

Gordon, we've spotted elephants just below us on the ridge.

0:44:100:44:15

Yeah, I've got them.

0:44:150:44:17

There's three of them that I can see,

0:44:170:44:19

they're quite far away from me.

0:44:190:44:21

That's fantastic.

0:44:210:44:22

Right.

0:44:240:44:26

I'm going to see if I can go a bit closer.

0:44:260:44:28

After two days stuck up this platform,

0:44:340:44:37

just when I thought all hope was lost,

0:44:370:44:41

we spot some elephants off in the distance.

0:44:410:44:45

Great!

0:44:480:44:50

This is exactly what I've been waiting for,

0:44:510:44:53

to see this whole herd together.

0:44:530:44:57

And do you know what? It is better than I could ever have imagined.

0:44:570:45:02

It's great,

0:45:020:45:04

despite the fact that they're a long, long way away,

0:45:040:45:07

it's just incredible to see these animals.

0:45:070:45:10

Such a tightly knit family group like elephants,

0:45:120:45:15

they spend a lot of time just hanging out together.

0:45:150:45:19

It's 10am, and it's already 35 degrees centigrade.

0:45:210:45:25

The elephants are moving from their feeding grounds on the ridge

0:45:250:45:29

down into the cool of the valley.

0:45:290:45:31

But even with a high-powered lens,

0:45:330:45:35

Gordon still can't see if the herd has young.

0:45:350:45:38

'Are you able to see any calves at all?'

0:45:380:45:41

No, there's...there's kind of an assortment of different sizes,

0:45:440:45:48

but the bamboo's coming right up to their, kind of, eye level,

0:45:480:45:53

so I just see the tops of their ears, their heads and their backs,

0:45:530:45:57

so there could be calves in amongst the bamboo.

0:45:570:45:59

The team has found two herds in the area,

0:46:010:46:03

one in Taung Lay and now this one.

0:46:030:46:06

But unless there are young, this herd won't survive for long.

0:46:080:46:12

To find out, the team must get closer.

0:46:130:46:16

Their only hope is Justine.

0:46:180:46:19

She's just southwest of the elephants.

0:46:190:46:22

She may be able to pick up their trail.

0:46:220:46:25

She needs to work out which valley they're in

0:46:260:46:29

and get as close as possible.

0:46:290:46:30

There's clearly lots of signs of elephants through here.

0:46:350:46:38

The danger is I don't want to get too close.

0:46:380:46:41

I don't want to stumble into them,

0:46:410:46:43

it's really hard to stay quiet around here.

0:46:430:46:45

I'm just going to have a quick look up this tree,

0:46:450:46:48

see if I can get a viewpoint, from up here.

0:46:480:46:51

Yeah, I can see down into the valley quite well now.

0:46:570:47:00

You can see loads of cleared areas

0:47:020:47:04

where elephants have been gathering and feeding.

0:47:040:47:06

That far bank over there, there's a really big patch,

0:47:060:47:09

You can see all the bamboo's been flattened.

0:47:090:47:11

Well, from the signs, it looks like

0:47:110:47:13

there's quite substantial herds moving through.

0:47:130:47:16

Until we actually clap our eyes on them, it's very hard to speculate.

0:47:180:47:21

But it does...it does look like there's a number of them,

0:47:210:47:24

certainly not just a couple of individuals.

0:47:240:47:26

There's a herd here somewhere.

0:47:330:47:35

But in thick forest, her chances of finding them are slim.

0:47:350:47:40

It's about four o'clock now,

0:47:440:47:46

it's getting cooler, so there's a chance

0:47:460:47:48

they might start coming back up on to the ridge line.

0:47:480:47:51

They actually have to come up and cross this ridge line

0:47:510:47:54

if they want to get into the other valley behind me.

0:47:540:47:56

We're heading off the ridge now,

0:48:050:48:07

and down into the valley below

0:48:070:48:09

in the hope that the elephants have descended.

0:48:090:48:12

It's a bit of a cat-and-mouse at the moment,

0:48:120:48:15

and I've no idea what to expect,

0:48:150:48:17

and it feels like we're just sort of chasing them,

0:48:170:48:20

but not ever getting close enough.

0:48:200:48:22

Possibly they've gone down,

0:48:230:48:25

or they may be going back up and we're going down.

0:48:250:48:28

It's like, it's hard to know where to go, where to be.

0:48:280:48:32

Well, let's see.

0:48:340:48:36

If Justine is right about their location,

0:48:380:48:40

she's now walking straight into their path.

0:48:400:48:43

This, we're getting into thicker bamboo,

0:48:510:48:54

and this is exactly the place where you don't want to meet an elephant.

0:48:540:48:58

It's utterly terrifying, having gone through that experience before.

0:48:580:49:01

You can't see anything, I can't even see a few feet ahead of me.

0:49:010:49:05

It's very thick and bushy,

0:49:050:49:07

and this sort of bamboo is really where you don't want to meet an elephant.

0:49:070:49:10

So we have to be very cautious.

0:49:100:49:13

Wild elephants kill hundreds of people each year,

0:49:210:49:24

often in self-defence after being surprised in thick cover.

0:49:240:49:28

Sh!

0:50:020:50:03

Sh.

0:50:030:50:05

Sh-sh!

0:50:050:50:06

RUSTLING

0:50:070:50:09

(Stop moving.)

0:50:110:50:12

Did you hear?

0:50:270:50:28

TRUMPETING

0:50:400:50:42

Justine needs to find a better position.

0:50:430:50:46

If they detect her, they will either flee or attack.

0:50:460:50:49

OK. We should go up, get some height,

0:50:490:50:51

be safer as well, and we might be able to look over the top there.

0:50:510:50:55

Let's do that.

0:50:550:50:56

From the sound of it, oh, they're about 30, 40 metres.

0:51:020:51:08

Right.

0:51:080:51:09

Go up.

0:51:090:51:11

She needs a clear line of sight to get her shot.

0:51:110:51:14

Even then, any calves will be hard to see.

0:51:140:51:17

Yes, yes!

0:51:240:51:25

I feel very, very, very, very lucky

0:52:050:52:08

to actually see them relaxed, at ease, it's just magical.

0:52:080:52:16

A herd like this is a very close-knit family...

0:52:210:52:25

..consisting of a big boss lady, the matriarch,

0:52:260:52:30

her daughters and her grandkids.

0:52:300:52:33

The males, once they get older, get kicked out,

0:52:330:52:39

they're told to go away and become lone bulls,

0:52:390:52:42

so the only males that will be in this group will be youngsters.

0:52:420:52:45

She's high above them, out of sight and reach,

0:52:500:52:54

and they have no idea she is there.

0:52:540:52:56

BUBBLING

0:52:580:53:00

Can you hear that sound?

0:53:010:53:02

Fantastic! It's a baby, I think.

0:53:020:53:04

If there ARE young, the herd is keeping them hidden.

0:53:080:53:11

Ah, the whole herd are climbing, climbing up the ridge.

0:53:160:53:20

They're in travelling mode.

0:53:240:53:26

They've had their bath, dusted themselves off,

0:53:260:53:31

and now they're ready for an evening, a night's feeding.

0:53:310:53:35

Then, at long last, the moment they've been waiting for.

0:53:370:53:41

Two very small calves.

0:53:500:53:52

It's a really, really tiny calf,

0:53:550:53:57

and it's trying to get on the back of one of the younger elephants.

0:53:570:54:01

They're so unbelievably cute, aren't they?

0:54:050:54:07

The team has their proof, a healthy, breeding herd, with young.

0:54:090:54:14

There's a calf that's trying to suckle.

0:54:140:54:17

What a lovely end to our stay here, we're really lucky,

0:54:200:54:24

but, you know, I think we've earned our luck.

0:54:240:54:26

We've had a few pretty hard days with no reward.

0:54:260:54:29

But it was well worth it, that was just magical.

0:54:290:54:34

It's a moment Chris has waited 25 years for,

0:54:450:54:48

a first-hand encounter

0:54:480:54:50

with the animals he's studied from afar for so long.

0:54:500:54:53

I'm going to land on a snake!

0:54:560:54:58

Hey, partner!

0:54:580:55:00

Congratulations, man.

0:55:010:55:03

As we say in old Virginia "You done good, you done good!"

0:55:030:55:06

Never before have I been so relieved to see an animal.

0:55:060:55:10

-It's great.

-It's fantastic.

0:55:100:55:12

The more time you spend up there,

0:55:120:55:15

the less, sort of, likely it feels that you're actually going to see them.

0:55:150:55:19

You're talking about an animal that spends the majority of its time in thick cover

0:55:190:55:23

in these tall trees, in the bamboo,

0:55:230:55:25

so I was thinking, "Well, maybe I shouldn't be so surprised

0:55:250:55:29

"that I'm not seeing them."

0:55:290:55:30

And then seeing at least ten right out in the open.

0:55:300:55:33

Well worth the wait.

0:55:340:55:35

Chris has been coming to Burma for decades

0:55:390:55:42

in the hope that he can help give the elephants here a secure future.

0:55:420:55:45

Now he has concrete evidence that they're thriving,

0:55:470:55:50

he is one step closer to his goal.

0:55:500:55:52

This is definitely a stronghold for wild elephants in Southeast Asia,

0:55:540:55:58

no question about that.

0:55:580:55:59

But Burma is also poised at a crossroads,

0:55:590:56:02

and there will be a development blitz here in the future,

0:56:020:56:06

we know that, and so it's going to be extremely, extremely important

0:56:060:56:09

for the leaders of this country to be vigilant

0:56:090:56:12

about the kinds of changes that accompany development,

0:56:120:56:15

because these forests

0:56:150:56:17

will be under threat unless their protection is guaranteed.

0:56:170:56:21

The team's challenge was to prove that elephants

0:56:250:56:28

are breeding successfully here.

0:56:280:56:29

They have accomplished their first mission.

0:56:310:56:33

They hope that their hard-won proof will encourage Burma

0:56:370:56:40

to protect these elephants and the forests they live in.

0:56:400:56:43

The alternative is to lose them forever.

0:56:430:56:47

It's more than I ever dreamed would happen.

0:57:050:57:07

Being able to see them bathing, grazing so clearly,

0:57:090:57:14

and yet feel safe myself.

0:57:140:57:16

It's just the best,

0:57:190:57:21

and to be here in Burma with a herd of elephants

0:57:210:57:25

which are probably forming

0:57:250:57:27

the last great population of Southeast Asian elephants in the world...

0:57:270:57:33

..it's very special.

0:57:340:57:36

Next time, the team ventures deeper into Burma's unexplored forests.

0:57:470:57:52

It's just a great unknown, I don't know what to expect, but I've got high hopes.

0:57:530:57:57

It's a quest fraught with hardship and danger...

0:57:570:58:00

We've got fire in front of us, and then fire here and then fire behind us.

0:58:000:58:04

BLEEP

0:58:050:58:07

..on a mission to discover creatures seldom caught on camera.

0:58:070:58:11

Look.

0:58:110:58:12

Oh, look, golden cat.

0:58:140:58:16

They will attempt to reveal just how rich Burma's forests are...

0:58:170:58:21

Oh!

0:58:220:58:23

This is a burying beetle.

0:58:230:58:25

These really stink, they stink like a decomposing corpse.

0:58:250:58:29

..and find out how much is at stake.

0:58:290:58:31

Burma's forests are not just important to Burma.

0:58:320:58:35

Burma's forests are important for the world.

0:58:350:58:38

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0:58:430:58:47

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